Volkswagen will deploy retrolicious autonomous vans during the 2022 World Cup
One of the coolest concept cars of the decade will come to life on the streets of Doha, Qatar, during the 2022 World Cup. Volkswagen will turn the ID Buzz concept into an autonomous shuttle that will carry up to four passengers at a time. Truck manufacturer Scania will contribute 10 driverless buses to the project.
Digital Trends Live: Google interpreter, The Game Awards, air taxis
On this episode of Digital Trends Live, hosts Greg Nibler and Ryan Waniata discuss the biggest trending stories in tech, including the Google Assistant interpreter mode, The Game Awards, SpaceX dims satellites, Walmart delivers via autonomous electric cars, and more.
Mercedes-Benz and Bosch are starting an autonomous shuttle service in California
Operating between downtown San Jose, California and the west part of the city, the ride-hailing service will include 30 prototypes based on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Only Bosch and Daimler associates will be allowed to ride in the cars, but the partners plan to open it up to the general public as soon as possible.
Self-driving baggage tractor is the latest smart tech for airports
With an eye on creating the "smart airport" of the future, Air France has unveiled a self-driving baggage tractor that allows staff to focus on other work, thereby making the baggage-handling process more efficient. It's just the latest example of how a growing number of industries are utilizing autonomous technology.
Mercedes-Benz wants to know what you expect from a ride in a self-driving car
Mercedes-Benz admitted it took a reality check when it comes to autonomous technology, but it's nonetheless moving forward with its plan to deploy self-driving cars, according to insiders. The company has started testing about 30 prototypes in California to learn more about what users expect from a ride in a robotaxi.
Racing’s most hallowed ground will host autonomous cars in 2021
Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host a race for autonomous cars in 2021. Cars will be fielded by colleges and universities, with a $1 million cash prize for first place The Indianapolis competition is intended to speed up commercialization of autonomous cars for road use.
MIT’s shadow-watching tech could let autonomous cars see around corners
MIT researchers have shown off new technology which could allow autonomous vehicles to look around corners — by analyzing changes in shadows on the ground. Here's how it works, and what it could potentially mean for the reaction time of self-driving cars in the future.
Waymo is now running autonomous car trips without backup drivers
Waymo is offering limited rides to Arizona residents in prototype self-driving cars without human backup drivers. Waymo cars previously operated with a person in the driver's seat at all times. The Alphabet-owned company said passengers will be notified via the Waymo app if it sends them a fully driverless car.
Waymo and Renault eye Paris for full-fledged robo-taxi service
Waymo and Renault are exploring the idea of launching a robo-taxi service in Paris for a route between Charles de Gaulle Airport and a major business district about 20 miles away. If it goes ahead, it would mark the first time for Waymo to take its autonomous-vehicle technology overseas.
Tesla’s Smart Summon catches the attention of safety regulators
Several Twitter users posted videos of their Tesla hitting another car, or nearly cutting off oncoming traffic. One complained his Model 3 hit a garage wall. The federal government is gathering information from Tesla about the feature. Elon Musk said owners used Summon over half a million times.
Waymo shows kids its autonomous cars in what it hopes will be a two-way street
Waymo has been demonstrating its self-driving cars to American students to teach them about its autonomous technology. It also hopes to gain useful feedback from the next generation of road users while at the same time inspiring some to take the baton and become the engineers of tomorrow.
Audi balances carsharing, EVs, and sports cars as it prepares for the 2020s
Digital Trends sat down with some of Audi's top executives to learn about how the company sees itself evolving during the 2020s. It will continue to build sports cars -- that's never changing -- but they'll be joined by a bevy of electric vehicles and shared vehicles. Some will even tick all three boxes.
Uber’s self-driving cars head to Dallas, but they’ll be driven in manual mode
Uber is taking its self-driving vehicles to the streets of Dallas, Texas, but they won't be driven in autonomous mode at the start. Instead, its Volvo SUVs will use human drivers to collect data to help it build the high-definition maps that power its self-driving system.
Unique cycling jacket could improve safety in a world of autonomous cars
A unique cycling jacket that uses QR codes to communicate with autonomous vehicles has won an award at an international design conference in Chicago. Created by Canada-based student Philip Siwek, the jacket could one day be used to help improve road safety in a world of self-driving cars.
Waymo’s test riders offer honest opinions on its robo-taxi service
Waymo has been getting lots of feedback from test riders taking trips in its autonomous cars. Overall, the responses were usually very good, though judging by some comments — one rider described their experience as “downright alarming” — there’s still plenty of room for improvement.
Nissan creates a self-driving golf ball that always finds the hole
If golf is your thing but your putting game sucks, you might want to try using Nissan's self-driving golf ball. Inspired by the carmaker's ProPilot 2.0 autonomous vehicle technology that leads your car to a designated highway exit, the high-tech ball finds the hole every time!
Waymo takes its self-driving cars to Florida for testing in heavy rain
Extreme weather conditions still present big challenges for self-driving cars, which is why Waymo is taking its autonomous vehicles to Florida for testing in heavy rain during the hurricane season. The vehicles will begin trial runs on a closed course before moving to the state’s public roads.
Optimus Ride launches autonomous shuttle service in New York City
Self-driving startup Optimus Ride is bringing its autonomous vehicles to New York City. It'll roll out its technology at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a 300-acre industrial park with more than 400 manufacturing businesses and 9,000 people workers, and offer rides between the site's various facilities.
In the future, hackers could cause traffic chaos by stalling self-driving cars
Think self-driving cars will solve all our traffic problems? Not if hackers have anything to do with it. Physicists at Georgia Tech University say that hackers could wreak havoc on cities by seizing control of a limited percentage of autonomous cars and causing them to stall.
Robo-van trial helps Walmart with grocery deliveries, but not to your door
Like a growing number of companies, retail giant Walmart appears keen to incorporate autonomous vehicles into its shipping operations. Its latest trial involves using driverless vehicles for the so-called "middle-mile" part of the distribution network, which could eventually see savings passed onto online shoppers.
Setback for GM’s autonomous car unit as it delays launch of robo-taxi service
GM's autonomous car unit wanted to launch a robo-taxi service before the end of this year. But Cruise Automation's CEO said on Wednesday it needed more time to test its self-driving vehicle in real-world conditions. The San Francisco-based company couldn’t offer a new date for the launch of its driverless taxi service.
How Lexus, one of the industry’s hybrid champions, is preparing for the 2020s
Lexus predicts significant shifts will reshape the automotive industry during the 2020s, and it's ready to take them on. The hybrid champion is preparing to branch out into electric cars, it's investing in autonomous technology, and it wants to keep focusing on SUVs. But it's not forgetting about performance.
Study finds motorists overestimate Autopilot’s capabilities; Tesla disagrees
Research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) finds many motorists are confused about the semi-autonomous driving aids found in cars. They often think the systems are more capable than they truly are, especially Tesla's Autopilot system, and they don't understand messages in the dashboard.
Walmart wants to save billions while integrating autonomy into its supply chain
Walmart teamed up with California-based Gatik to integrate self-driving technology into its supply chain. The retailer wants autonomous trucks and vans to transport goods to and from the warehouses it owns across the nation. Automating middle-mile deliveries can save a tremendous amount of money.
Waymo at last fires up the self-driving smarts of the Jaguar I-Pace
A year after inking a deal with Jaguar to use the I-Pace crossover for its self-driving program, Waymo has started testing the modified electric vehicle in driverless mode. The plan is to use the I-Pace for autonomous ridesharing services such as the one it’s already operating in Phoenix, Arizona.
Fiat Chrysler is the latest to partner with autonomous-tech specialist Aurora
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Silicon Valley startup Aurora are partnering to develop self-driving technology for commercial services, the companies announced on Sunday. It's the latest in a growing number of collaborations between established automakers and firms specializing in autonomous-driving technology.
Lyft’s robo-taxis have made more than 50,000 rides in Las Vegas
Lyft has announced that it's now provided over 50,000 automated rides to paying passengers in Las Vegas a year after it launched the service with vehicle technology company Aptiv. Riders have responded positively about their experience, with most trying the self-driving technology for the very first time.
Uber’s earnings report could give a clearer picture on self-driving cars
Uber will resume testing self-driving cars on the streets of Pittsburgh after a nine-month hiatus that followed a deadly accident in Arizona. The program will resume on a significantly reduced scale, and the company promises it will put a bigger focus on safety than ever before.
Watch Cruise Automation’s driverless car perform one of the trickiest maneuvers
With so much to watch for, unprotected left turns in urban environments are one of the trickiest maneuvers a driver has to perform — and the same goes for self-driving cars. A video released by autonomous-vehicle company Cruise Automation reveals that the GM-backed team appears close to nailing it.
This futuristic concept car shows how Citroen envisions road-tripping in 2119
Paris-based Citroen is celebrating its 100th birthday by looking at what the next 100 years have in store. The company unveiled a concept car named 19_19 that explores how road-tripping might change in the coming decades. Electric and semi-autonomous, the 19_19 concept was designed as a living room on wheels.
Lyft taps Waymo for driverless robo-taxi rides in Phoenix
Ridesharing company Lyft is about to begin offering a robo-taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona, thanks to its partnership with autonomous-vehicle specialist Waymo. It'll begin with 10 self-driving vehicles, with Lyft customers able to request rides through the app, in the usual way.
Tesla will have ‘autonomous robotaxis’ in 2020, Elon Musk says
Tesla will deploy self-driving cars in a "robotaxi" service in 2020, CEO Elon Musk said at the automaker's Autonomy Investor Day. Current Tesla cars have all hardware needed for fully-autonomous driving, he said.
Aptiv releases massive self-driving car data set, aiming to boost safety research
Aptiv and its NuTonomy division are releasing a data set from self-driving car sensors in order to aid research. Data comes from real-world testing of self-driving cars in Boston and Singapore. Aptiv claims this is the largest dataset of its kind to be made available to the public.
Waymo boosts robo-taxi plans with new service center in Arizona
Waymo has announced plans for a facility in Phoenix, Arizona, that will help to service, maintain, and grow its fleet of autonomous Waymo One cars. The vehicles operate as part of the company's robo-taxi ridesharing service that launched in the area toward the end of 2018.